Robots won’t be assembling your iPhone after all

You may recall Terry Gou, the president and CEO of Foxconn, telling the world earlier this year that his company will soon be using robots to help assemble your iPhone. Well that might be a bit further away than previously expects according to Chinese economic website Jienam (via G for Games), as it appears humans are still better at assembling Apple products than robots.

The report claims that the first deployment of Foxconn’s robots, know as Foxbots, aren’t precise enough to meet Apple’s notoriously high standards. These first-generation Foxbots, which are tasked with the more menial jobs, such as tightening screws or assembling larger components, have been found to have an accuracy to 0.05mm, according to Cult of Mac. Apple’s tolerance required to assemble its products is 0.02mm.

Foxconn’s goal is to use the Foxbots to replace some of the workers on its production line when assembling iPhones, so it looks like Foxconn employees don’t have to worry about losing their jobs just yet. Mac Rumors says that the Chinese electronics manufacturing giant is working on its next-generation of robots that should be able to assemble iPhones as accurately as humans.

Another issue with the Foxbots is their size, as they’re simply too big and clunky, due in large part to the fact that the robots have their roots in the automotive industry, according to Today’s iPhone. While they’re more than capable of handling materials and other tasks that don’t require finesse, but they lack the precision needed to handle small, complex devices like the iPhone.